Dutch winger Arjen Robben retires after leaving Bayern Munich
The left footer has decided to call time on a brilliant playing career
Arjen Robben announced on Thursday that he had taken the difficult decision to bring his football career to an end.
Robben, 35, left Bayern Munich at the end of the season but has only now decided that it is time to retire from the game he has given so much to.
The ex-Dutch international said in a statement it was "without a doubt the most difficult decision I have had to make in my career."
He added: "The love for the game and the belief that you can still take on the whole world went up against the reality that not everything always turns out exactly as you would like and that you are no longer a 16-year-old boy who didn't even know what an injury was.
"At the moment I am fit and healthy and as a lover of many other sports I would like to keep it that way for the future. So I will definitely stop, but that's a good thing."
Robben played 96 times for his country during his 19 team professional career. He started out at Groningen in his homeland and went on to play for PSV Eindhoven, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern, where he spent 10 years.
During his time in Germany he won eight Bundesliga titles and the Champions League. He also won two Premier League titles with Chelsea, among many other trophies.
